The problem of wet floors caused by pedestrians tracking water into buildings during rainy or snowy weather conditions has existed as long as people have inhabited buildings. Water or snow tracked onto interior floors is not only unsightly, but it can represent a safety hazard, thereby creating a liability for businesses and homeowners. Traditional techniques for dealing with wet floors include placing rugs or mats near entranceways to absorb water being tracked into a building. The disadvantages to this approach include having to replace or clean the rugs or mats on a regular basis, thereby incurring material and labor costs. In addition, water from the rugs or mats can still be tracked onto the floors beyond the placement of the rugs or mats, as pedestrians walk onto the wet rugs or mats and track the water onto the floor of the building.
Another technique for drying floors includes manually positioning fans or blowers to dry the floor of a building when it is observed that the floor is wet. The disadvantage of this approach is that it requires labor to observe the wet floor and manually move the fans or blowers into position while also removing the fans or blowers when the floor is dry.